Who we are - and where we came from
GRI’s vision is a world where organizations are accountable for their impacts on the economy, people and planet, to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations.
Our mission is to provide global leadership in sustainability reporting, ensuring that reporting on impacts is widely recognized as essential.
View the timeline of GRI's history
Our journey so far: from transparency to accountability
Sustainability reporting has already moved from niche to mainstream - it is increasingly embedded in regulations, and established in corporate practices and investment decisions worldwide.
The question is no longer simply whether to disclose information, but whether reporting delivers meaningful and measurable insights on how an organization impacts people and the planet. GRI has a central and continuing role in supporting this shift, enabling greater transparency and accountability worldwide.
Emergence
Our foundations began to be laid nearly three decades ago, when GRI was founded in Boston (USA) in 1997. Our roots lie in the non-profit organizations CERES and the Tellus Institute, with involvement of the UN Environment Programme.
The aim back then was to create a first disclosure mechanism to ensure companies adhere to responsible environmental conduct principles, which was broadened to include social, economic and governance issues.
The first GRI Guidelines, launched in 2000, were our initial response to this goal. As sustainability moved up the global agenda, reporting expectations grew – and so did we.
Development and adoption
What began as a framework adopted by early movers evolved into a worldwide network of organizations, policymakers and practitioners committed to transparency and accountability.
Our global secretariat was established in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 2002 and was followed by a gradual expansion over the next two decades of our regional presence - leading to our current locations in South Asia, ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America. This meant we have been able to strengthen engagement in key markets while responding to global needs for a common language for sustainability reporting.
Convergence and scale
As impact reporting matured, so did the framework behind it. In 2016, GRI transitioned from Guidelines to the GRI Standards — marking a shift toward greater consistency and global alignment. Today, we offer a comprehensive and complete family of standards spanning universal, topic and sector standards, which continue to to be reviewed and updated under the guidance of the Global Sustainability Standards Board.
Yet standards are only one part of what GRI does. We do not believe that reporting in itself is the endgame. Through a wide range of education, resources, services, tools and policy engagement, we are enabling individuals and organizations to unlock the value of reporting in ways that support long-term value creation, contributing to a sustainable future for all.